No charges in baby death

A loophole in state law is preventing Campbell County investigators from charging a woman they say killed her newborn baby. Investigators say the baby was already dead when deputies got there, and that the baby’s airway was still blocked. They say the baby was under bedding and had been suffocated by her mother. Because the mother and baby were still connected by the umbilical cord and placenta, state law does not consider the baby to be a separate life, and thus the mother cannot be charged. WSLS

Half of Urban Teen Girls Acquire STIs within 2 Years of First Sexual Activity

Half of urban teenage girls may acquire at least one of three common sexually transmitted infections within two years of becoming sexually active. The study appears in the December 2009 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The researchers followed 381 girls enrolled at ages 14 to 17 years and found that repeated infection with the organisms that cause chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis also was very common. LifeSiteNews

Indiana PP's forced to close

Four more Planned Parenthood clinics around the state will close by the end of March due to a change in regulations the organization says is too difficult to reconcile with its service model. Many Planned Parenthood clinics offer free contraception, subsidized by Medicaid, private donors and customer revenue, but charge for check-ups and other services. Under the new regulations, every Medicaid-eligible patient who comes to a clinic receiving grant funding must receive all services that clinic offers for free, while everyone else pays based on a sliding scale. Indiana has strict Medicaid eligibility requirements when compared to other states. IN Public Media

Fetus found in box under Christmas tree

A San Juan woman and her boyfriend were arraigned Monday on charges stemming from the discovery of an aborted fetus in a blanket-wrapped gift box under a Christmas tree. Police found the corpse Thursday morning inside the woman's trailer home after receiving an anonymous tip.

Ruby Lee Medina, 31, and Javier Gonzalez, 37, of Mission face charges of abuse of a corpse, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in jail; and evidence tampering, a felony carrying a possible sentence of two to 10 years in prison. The chief said Medina was apparently in her seventh month of pregnancy and investigators are awaiting autopsy results and other tests. A self-induced abortion is illegal when the pregnancy is so far advanced. My SanAntonio

Open Mic: Does Human Life Begin at Conception?

Last fall, the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform traveled to the Upper Midwest as part of our campus outreach and training program. On each campus we visited we conducted an open microphone session which permits students to ask questions of one of our staff. Watch a video clip of one such interchange.

Alive or Dead? Video Shows Ambulance At North Carolina Abortion Clinic

An ambulance was caught on videotape transporting an abortion patient from A Preferred Women’s Health Center in Charlotte, NC. Onlookers are heard on the video to express deep concern for the condition of the woman. In the video, dated December 6, 2009, the patient was removed from the abortion clinic completely covered from head to toe with no sign of movement. The videographer indicated that he had seen other women transported from that abortion clinic by ambulance, and none of them was covered or treated as this patient. There was no sense of urgency by the ambulance drivers, who took nearly 10 minutes to remove the patient from the abortion clinic property. Operation Rescue

Pro-Life Nations Beat Pro-Abortion Ones on Maternal Mortality

A new report from the World Economic Forum shows that countries with restrictive abortion laws are often the leaders in reducing maternal mortality, and those with permissive laws often lag. According to the report, the pro-life nation of Ireland has topped the global rankings once again with the best maternal health performance. Abortion advocates have attempted to push an international "right to abortion," claiming that restrictive laws force women to seek unsafe abortion, which in turn leads to high maternal mortality. LifeNews

Abortion Survivor Shares Her Story

Melissa Ohden's 19 month old daughter, Olivia, was not supposed to have a chance at life because of abortion. Not because Melissa ever considered aborting her, but because Melissa, herself, was aborted at approximately 24 weeks of gestation and survived. Melissa didn't learn that she was the survivor of a failed saline infusion abortion attempt until she was in the 8th grade. Even though Melissa felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for being saved from certain death, for many years shame and embarrassment at being "so unwanted," and guilt for growing up to be perfectly happy, healthy and successful rendered her silent. She eventually came forward in 2007 to share her story and provide a voice to the millions of voiceless, aborted children just like her. Since that time, Melissa's life has come full circle, giving birth to her first child, Olivia, at the very same hospital where her own life was supposed to end. LifeNews

Largest Ever March for Life in Netherlands Held December 12th

The Dutch annual March For Life was held on Saturday, December 12, 2009. The event was organized by Cry for Life and Christians for Truth and attracted some 700 participants - the largest number ever since the marches began 17 years ago. The March For Life is held each year in December, commemorating the date - December 18, 1980 - when abortion was approved in the Dutch Parliament. Currently abortion up to the 24th week is allowed. LifeSiteNews

“Help Stop the Largest Expansion of Abortion Since Roe v. Wade…”

Join the URGENT nationwide webcast event on Tuesday, December 15, at 9 PM Eastern to prevent Washington, DC, bureaucrats and abortion industry lobbyists from using government funds to pay for abortions and bailout the failing abortion industry! Register Now

NJ Abortion Clinic Pays $1.9 Million for Botched Abortion

A troubled New Jersey abortion clinic affiliated with the National Abortion Federation (NAF) has paid out $1.9 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a Rasheedah Dinkins, who suffered a horrifically botched second-trimester abortion in 2007. The huge pay-out raises questions about the quality and safety of abortion facilities that will be eligible for tax-funding should health care reform now under consideration in the Senate include abortion coverage. Operation Rescue

MTV seeks newlyweds

MTV is seeking a newlywed couple who is connected with True Love Waits to appear on an upcoming episode of the network's Emmy award-winning docu-series True Life. The ideal couple should appear to be between the ages of 18-28 and have just gotten married or are about to tie the knot. The documentary will follow young couples through their wedding and immediately after as they adjust to their new life together. Interested couples should email names and contact info in addition to relating what your expectations of newlywed life are/were.

Navigating the Mine Field that is a Black Woman’s Womb

When I was growing up in Ghana in the home of a Black radical (my mother) and a regular dude (my dad), I was taught by my mother and other radicals of her ilk that “civilization was carried on the womb of the black woman,” that her children were “kings and queens,” that her “feet were shod with truth and beauty.” You get the picture; and anyone who was born between 1968-81 and raised in a home of “Black consciousness” knows what I’m talking about. Georgia RTL

Grassroots Women's Group Fights for the Family

The women who "rock the cradles of the next generation" have banded together in a grassroots group called The Kitchen Cabinet PAC. It's designed to help busy women have a voice in the political process. Kimberly Fletcher, president and founder of Homemakers for America and a member of The Kitchen Cabinet PAC, said its time for Washington to hear from them.

Research on the effects of abortion

Available from the Association for Indisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change:

• Mothers Living in Poverty: How Uninvolved and Unreliable Men in their Lives May Drive them to Abortion and How Abortion Increases Risk for Adverse Outcomes
• Abortion Mental Health Research: Update and Quality of Evidence
• Pre-term Birth and Abortion

New Studies Continue to Document Physical Risks of Abortion

New research published this last month continues to add to the evidence documenting the physical risks of abortion on women. First, a study published in Finland found that women who underwent chemical abortions were 4 times more likely to suffer physical complications compared to women who underwent surgical abortions. A second new study of women in China found that those who had abortions had a 17 percent overall increased risk of breast cancer. The study follows on the heels of a review published by Turkish researchers that found a 66 percent overall increased risk of breast cancer among women with a history of abortion. Elliot Institute

Three women challenge Ireland’s ban on abortion at European court

Three women living in the Irish Republic challenged the country’s strict abortion law at the European Court of Human Rights yesterday, claiming that their rights had been violated. The three — two Irish nationals and a Lithuanian — all left their homes in Ireland to have abortions in Britain. They are supported in their case by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and the Irish Family Planning Association.

Ireland’s abortion law dates from 1861, and bans the procedure except where there is a risk to the life of the mother, including that of suicide. An estimated 140,000 women have crossed the Irish Sea for abortions in the past 30 years, with the number presently running at an average of 6,000 a year.

One of the women in the case had had her four children placed in foster care and sought an abortion to avoid jeopardising her chances of reuniting thefamily. Another woman was at risk of an extrauterine pregnancy while the third, a Lithuanian, became pregnant while in remission from cancer. She understood that the pregnancy might cause her cancer to return, and decided to have an abortion as she was “unclear, and concerned about the risks to her health and the life and to the foetus, if she continued to term.” Times Online

AUL Action Challenges Planned Parenthood to Reveal Financial Interest in Health Care Legislation

On the day that a vote on the Nelson-Hatch-Casey amendment is expected, Americans United for Life Action published a full-page newspaper ad in one of the top Capitol Hill newspapers The Hill challenging Planned Parenthood to state how much they stand to gain from the passing of health care reform legislation. AUL Action President and CEO Charmaine Yoest said, "This Senate health care bill is a bailout for the world's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood. Their lobbying efforts are said to be about empowering women and advancing reproductive health but the bottom line is that Planned Parenthood needs the business." PR Newswire

Actor's suicide after ex-girlfriend's abortion

An aspiring actor took his own life exactly five years after a former girlfriend who terminated her pregnancy had been due to give birth to their twins. An inquest heard the death of Robin Goodchild mirrored events in a play he had helped to write. A psychiatrist told the Coroner's Court the termination, along with 29-year-old Mr Goodchild's fears he had become infertile after suffering a medical problem, may have sent him spiralling into depression. As well as his regrets over the abortion, the inquest heard he was worried by his inability to land work as a professional actor, the big debts he had racked up after taking drama qualifications and his gambling habit. This is Bristol

Reactions to abortion and subsequent mental health

Data were gathered on the pregnancy and mental health history of a birth cohort of over 500 women studied to the age of 30. Abortion was associated with high rates of both positive and negative emotional reactions; however, nearly 90% of respondents believed that the abortion was the right decision. Analyses showed that the number of negative responses to the abortion was associated with increased levels of subsequent mental health disorders (P<0.05). British Journal of Psychiatry

Planned Parenthood Caught on Tape Lying about Prenatal Development

Live Action films just released a new video featuring Planned Parenthood employees lying about pre-natal development and encouraging a young woman to obtain an abortion because "women die having babies." In an undercover video, filmed in an Appleton, WI, Planned Parenthood abortion facility, a counselor says that a 10-week old unborn child has no heart beat, only "heart tones," which she says begin at 7 weeks. In fact, heartbeats begin at roughly 3 weeks. Wisconsin informed consent law requires that women receive medically accurate information before undergoing an abortion.

In the movie, both the counselor and an abortionist use a variety of circumlocutions to avoid referring to an unborn child as a baby, referring to the baby variously as a "fetus," "what's in the uterus right now," "the embryo that's developing inside," "something growing inside your uterus." They continually assure the woman, whom they believe to be pregnant, that the pre-born child is not a baby and variously tell her that it only becomes a baby at 6-7 months of pregnancy or at birth. LifeSiteNews

Another Major Problem with the Senate Health Care Bill: Sex Ed

The recent amendment to the Senate health care plan by Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) allocates hundreds of millions of dollars of your money toward "Personal Responsibility Education for Adulthood Training." According to the amendment, $400 million from the years 2010 to 2015 will be spent on "evidence-based effective programs" to teach kids "healthy life skills," including things like "goal-setting, decision making, negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills, and stress management." It actually refers to sex education. The Senate health care plan is going to teach kids about sex. Graphically, and early. With heaps of tax dollars. LifeSiteNews; see related article here

Holocaust in Israel: Lives not worthy of Life?

An article on YNET (one of the leading Hebrew-language dailies) reported on an Israeli couple that had numerous prenatal tests and doctors suspected their baby was carrying the chromosomes for Down’s Syndrome. The couple was urged to have an abortion, only to discover later that the baby was misdiagnosed. They are now suing three different hospitals.

Israel leads the world in sheer number of prenatal tests it offers to pregnant mothers. There have been numerous cases where the test results were incorrect. Yet, abortion is promoted as the quick and simple solution to any possible problem, without any consideration of the repercussions of that abortion on the woman or her family.

Sandy Shoshani, director of Be’ad Chaim Association for the Protection of the Woman and Unborn Child in Israel, writes: "My concern . . . is that children in the womb are not considered human beings unless they are wanted by their parents and by society.

"At Be’ad Chaim, we have been praying about lobbying in the government and press in order to further increase public awareness of the dangers of abortion to women and the value of unborn children. As a result of much prayer, we see early signs of this already taking place to a certain degree, yet we believe that further action needs to be taken. As a first step, we have decided to increase our advertising in major newspapers and to publish the testimonies of women who have been hurt by abortion alongside articles on those who’ve continued pregnancies despite difficult circumstances. Please pray for wisdom and resources as we pursue a major change in public opinion on abortion." Bead Chaim Life News

Pregnant women develop emotion-reading superpowers

Raging hormones during pregnancy prompt mood swings, but may also lead to a heightened ability to recognise threatening or aggressive faces. This may have evolved because it makes future mothers hyper-vigilant, yet it could also make them more vulnerable to anxiety. New Scientist

PA: Pro-lifers seeks nomination for governor

Dianne Pomon, director of Genesis PCC in Pottstown, PA, asked me to post this information for Pennsylvania directors:

Sam Rohrer is seeking the Republican nomination for Governor of Pennsylvania. He has been a leader in her church and in the PA House of Representatives. For more information, sign up to receive campaign updates. Email Dave Nyce if you are willing to help circulate a nomination petition to fellow Republicans in your church or neighborhood. Become a SamRohrer.org Facebook Fan to spread the message at the grassroots.

Senate Defeats Amendment to Stop Abortion Funding in Health Care

The Senate on Tuesday voted 54-45 to defeat the Nelson amendment that would have removed the massive abortion funding from the Senate government-run health care bill. With the defeat, pro-life advocates will unite behind a concerted effort to defeat the entire health care bill. The legislation currently allows abortion funding under both the public option and the affordability credits to purchase health care insurance. The bill contains a slightly-reworded version of the much-maligned Capps amendment, which a House committee approved on a partisan vote and which pro-life groups say is an accounting scheme to hide government-funded abortions. LifeNews

Related:
House bill the largest abortion funding since Roe
Pro-life senators vow fillibuster
NRLC urges defeat of healthcare reform

Baltimore Mayor OKs Added Burden on Pregnancy Centers

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon has signed City Council Bill 09-0406 that fines pregnancy centers $150 per day if they don't post a sign saying they do not also provide abortions. Baltimore is the first city in the nation to target pregnancy centers in what could become a growing phenomenon.

Melinda Delahoyde, the president of Care Net, said the new law is “nonsensical,” “unwarranted,” and “discriminatory.” “It is nonsensical for the Baltimore City Council to undermine local efforts to provide free support to pregnant women in their city, but that’s exactly what they've accomplished with this legislation. It’s particularly alarming when abortions are decreasing nationwide, but increasing in the state of Maryland."

Delahoye said noted the abortion rate in the U.S. has decreased nine percent since 2000 to 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age in 2005. In 2005, Maryland had a rate of 31.5, an increase of eight percent since 1992.

“Pregnancy centers help to reduce abortions by providing free, compassionate support and practical help to women facing unplanned pregnancies. For nearly 30 years, the first center Care Net opened, the Greater Baltimore Center for Pregnancy Concerns, has been faithfully serving the women of Baltimore," Delahoye went on. "Not one client has ever complained about their experience there. So, why was the bill introduced, other than to satisfy the demands of an abortion lobbying group?" LifeNews

Report Shows ‘Handwriting On The Wall’ For Failing Abortion Industry

Operation Rescue has released the results of an extensive research project into the abortion industry showing that the number of abortion clinics continues to dwindle as Americans become more pro-life. OR has listed all abortion clinics along with a map showing their locations. The information shows a general relationship between access to abortion clinics and the abortion rate in each state. With few exceptions, the states with greater access to abortion clinics have higher abortion rates.

“We now have an accurate listing of every open abortion clinic in the country,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “In 1991, it was estimated that there were nearly 2,200 abortion clinics in the country, today there are just 713. The pro-life movement has made significant strides exposing and closing abortion clinics and shifting public opinion toward the pro-life position. This has resulted in lower abortion rates.” Operation Rescue

Editor: In Michigan, according to health department statistics, most abortions are performed in doctors offices (79%), not free-standing clinics (21%). Overview of trends, 1985-2008. Operation Rescue explains that many abortionists categorize their clinics as "offices," so that would explain the disparity.

Related: Tulare County (CA) lacking in abortion services

Carhart Abandons Plans For Kansas Late-term Abortion Clinic

Operation Rescue has confirmed that late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart will not be opening a late-term abortion clinic in Kansas to replace Women’s Health Care Services, which closed after the death of George Tiller.

35 SENATORS WARN AGAINST SMUGGLING PRO-ABORTION POLICY CHANGES INTO OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS BILL

In a letter delivered today to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (NV), 35 Republican senators, led by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), warned that if any of the provisions making pro-abortion policy changes are included, the omnibus legislation will face stiff resistance. To view or download a copy of the letter, click here. Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, commented: "At the same time that congressional Democratic leaders are trying to win enactment of government-funded abortion in their health care legislation, they are also considering using end-of-year omnibus appropriations legislation to try to smuggle in removals of longstanding bans on government-funded abortion in the nation's Capitol, and in their own insurance plans." LifeNews

Editor: These changes are NOT related to the healthcare debate, but are flying under the radar.

Time From First Intercourse to First Sexually Transmitted Infection Diagnosis Among Adolescent Women

By age 15 years, 25% of the young women in the study acquired their first STI, most often C trachomatis. Median interval between first intercourse and first STI diagnosis was 2 years. Repeated infections were common. Considerable delay in STI testing was found for those who began sex at a younger age. Conclusions: Timely screening and treatment are important for prevention of STI sequelae. For urban adolescent women, STI screening (especially for C trachomatis) should begin within a year after first intercourse and infected individuals should be retested every 3 to 4 months. Archives of Pediatric/Adolescent Medicine

New look for BFL web site

Check out Baptists for Life's redesigned web site, sporting a new look and an updated logo. Coming soon -- the ability to make online purchases of bulletin inserts and other items from our catalog, and the ability to register online for events such as the Leadership Summit! Our thanks to K-Data Systems!

First 3D MRI scans of unborn babies

A new technique to get the first 3D images of unborn babies from magnetic resonance scans has been developed by Imperial College Healthcare. A team is using the images to find out how foetus' brains develop in the womb. This has been difficult to study before as unborn babies wiggle in the mother's tummy. BBC

Editor: Watch this fascinating video.

More than 5,000 UK women under 20 had repeat termination

More than 5,000 women under 20 had an abortion for at least the second time last year, new official figures reveal. The disclosure has prompted renewed concern about the effectiveness of sexual health policy. 5,218 women under 20 in England and a further 15,029 aged between 20 and 24 had a repeat abortion. All those involved were single. Guardian

Asking for resources with confidence

Most ministry leaders are comfortable challenging others to pray, study the Scriptures, or serve, but are genuinely intimidated and even fearful at the thought of asking for financial resources. Why is this the case, and how can you ask for resources with confidence? ECFA, page 5

Successful succession

Succession is one of the greatest challenges facing leaders today. The issue of who will say "yes" next haunts those currently in command. Successful succession is possible when certain principles are identified . . . and followed. ECFA, page 3

The politics of pregnancy counseling

I can see why the pro-choice side dislikes crisis pregnancy centers, and especially dislikes the idea of public dollars being funneled their way. But if we don’t want to fund ideologically charged organizations that cut ethical corners in the counseling they provide to pregnant women, there’s a case to be made for taking a look at Planned Parenthood’s millions as well. NYTimes

Senate May Vote Monday to Cut Abortion Funding in Health Care

Sen. Ben Nelson, a pro-life Nebraska Democrat, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, are behind an amendment similar to the Stupak amendment the House added to its bill. Senate leader Harry Reid announced today that the Senate will vote on the Nelson amendment on Monday. LifeNews

MI Senate Committee to vote on Embryo Package Dec. 9

The passage of Proposal 2 by a narrow margin in 2008 left many unanswered questions regarding human embryonic stem cell research. A package of bills titled the Embryo Research & Fertility Clinic Transparency Act was introduced in the Michigan House and Senate to address concerns in the loosely worded amendment allowing the destruction of human embryos in Michigan. The Michigan Senate Health Policy Committee will take up the Embryo Research Transparency Package on Wednesday, December 9, where a vote to report the bills to the full Senate is expected. Please take 5 minutes to contact your state senator and urge them to support this legislation.

Pinckney Pro-Life changes name to Impact73.org

Impact73.org’s goal is to directly reach the “Roe v. Wade” generation. It is people under the age of 35 that are going to end abortion. Impact73.org franchises PPL’s three largest projects - Project LIFEBOARD™; LIFEtalks; and participation in the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. By logging onto Impact73.org’s website, Impact73.org, groups worldwide can download PPL’s format for LIFEtalks, a manual on how to organize a trip to the March for Life and information on how to raise funds for posting LIFEBOARDS.

Keep It Closed Campaign Successfully Thwarts Carhart’s Late-term Abortion Plans

Criminal investigation and lack of hospital access are proving to be insurmountable roadblocks to Carhart’s return to Kansas. Operation Rescue

Study: Down Syndrome Births Up

A new study finds that there has been an increase in the number of children born with Down syndrome. One reason for the increase may be that women wait longer to have children, which increases the chances of a child being born with Down syndrome. Another could be that more families choose not to terminate a pregnancy. NPR

Name Voyager: The Art and Science of Baby Names

Here's an interesting site for your clients who are giving birth: The Baby Name Wizard Graph of the Most Popular Baby Names.

Hatch Readies A 'Stupak-Like Amendment'

As the Obamacare debate continues in the upper chamber, Senate Republicans are focused on rolling out amendments. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) says he will soon introduce a “Stupak-like amendment” that would prohibit the federal funding of elective abortions. “It will be similar to the amendment proposed by Congressman Stupak in the House, just without some of the House legislative language,” says Hatch. “It will hit all of the same issues, as well as adding conscience protections for doctors.” Hatch admits that passing the amendment will be an uphill battle, so he’s planning on co-sponsoring the amendment with an ally across the aisle, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE). National Review

Pro-death plan of action

The Center for Reproductive Rights outlines its plan for defeating Stupak-Pitts -- No Abortion Ban: National Day of Action

“Champion of Sexual Literacy” choking every nickel out of abstinence education

Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Cecile Richards was presented the Champion of Sexual Literacy Award by the National Sexuality Resource Center in October, and she took advantage of the occasion by giving a talk laced with contempt for pro-life advocates and chastity education. NSRC

Opinion: Lawmakers Likely To Reach Abortion Compromise In Health Reform Without Scuttling Entire Bill

Some abortion-rights supporters have threatened to block health reform legislation if language like Rep. Bart Stupak's (D-MI) amendment to the House bill (HR 3962) is included in the final measure, but "I predict their bluff won't be called," Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus writes in a Newsweek opinion piece. "In the end, the dispute will be resolved, with a few legislative tweaks that fully satisfy neither side." Medical News Today

The Abortion Distortion

Just how pro-choice is America, really? The idea that a bunch of pro-life rogue wingnuts have hijacked the agenda and thwarted the national will is a convenient, but fanciful, belief. Even with an 81-person margin in the House, and even with a passionately committed female, pro-choice Speaker, it was the Democrats who managed to pass a bill that, arguably, would restrict access to abortion more aggressively than any state measure or legal case since the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade. NY Mag

Texas County to Consider Spending $450K on Abortions

Travis County officials in Austin, Texas, are set to discuss, at a December 10 meeting, whether or not they will spend $450,000 to directly pay for abortions. The county has paid for abortions in prior budgets and the Texas Alliance for Life pro-life organization hopes to stop officials this time around. LifeNews

Canadians More Concerned About Killing Animals Than Unborn Children

A new poll finds a tremendous incongruency in the thinking of Canadians on key social and political issues. Canadians are more outraged with the killing of animals or their medical testing than the destruction of unborn children and using them for scientific study. The survey, conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion and published in Maclean’s magazine, finds practices pro-life advocates find objectionable are morally acceptable. LifeNews

New York Times Highlights Divide Between Old and Young Abortion Advocates

Sheryl Gay Stolberg devoted most of her article in Sunday’s New York Times detailing the concerns of radical feminists over the future of legalized abortion, specifically its support among the younger generations. She downplayed the larger opposition to abortion in the 18-30 year old demographic, and only one of the pro-abortion activists that she quoted in her article belonged to this group. LifeNews

Harvard Study: Planned Parenthood is an Abortion Business and Business is Bad

Despite profits of $85 million in 2008, Planned Parenthood is facing serious financial difficulties. Internally, Planned Parenthood's difficulties stem from the uneven strength of its affiliates, and President Cecile Richards is worried. According to the Harvard case, her organization faces "tough economic times, a hostile political environment, and limited ability to raise philanthropic dollars in a resource constrained area of the country." LifeNews

In South Korea, abortion foes gain ground

For nearly two decades, obstetrician Shim Sang-duk aborted as many babies as he delivered -- on average, one a day, month after month."Over time, I became emotionless," the physician said. "I came to see the results of my work as just a chunk of blood. During the operation, I felt the same as though I was treating scars or curing diseases." Shim, 42, eventually came to despise himself, despite the money he earned from the procedures. So, two months ago, he founded an activist group of physicians who refuse to perform abortions and advocate prosecution for doctors who continue to do so. The group's stand has brought a tidal wave of criticism from the Korean Assn. of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which represents more than 4,000 physicians in this country where abortions, although technically illegal, are so prevalent it has been tagged as "the Abortion Republic."

The country's birthrate is now among the lowest worldwide, with just 1.19 live births per woman. Meanwhile, abortion rates have kept their pace, many say. Every year, 450,000 babies are born here; Health Ministry officials estimate that 350,000 abortions are performed each year. One politician says the number of abortions is actually four times higher -- nearly 1.5 million.

For years, Shim rarely, if ever, even used the word "abortion." Rather, he said, he sought to "erase" or "prevent" the fetus." I bought into the government's argument that it was OK to do this," he said. "It was good for the country. It boosted the economy." Still, Shim was often baffled by his patients' behavior: After receiving their abortions, he said, most women cried." Many patients cry when they give birth," he said, "but these were a different kind of tears." LA Times

Prayer request for Baltimore-area centers

The targeting and harassment of pro-life pregnancy resource centers has expanded from Baltimore City (MD) into Montgomery County where a proposed new regulation would require the centers to tell prospective clients, over the phone, that the information they provide is not intended to be medical advice and to turn to other providers before “proceeding on a course of action regarding (her) pregnancy.” The regulation would impose a fine of up to $750 per day for not doing so. The Montgomery County Council bill singles out four pro-life pregnancy centers for harassment (Centro Tepeyac, Birththright, Rockville Pregnancy Center, and Shady Grove).

Mary Suarez Hamm, director of development at Centro Tepeyac, requests prayer concerning this issue. A hearing will be held on Dec. 1st at 7:30pm. "The bill singles out pregnancy resource centers only because of their pro-life mission. If approved, the Montgomery County regulation would impose government compelled speech on a non-profit organization that does not receive public funding simply because the organization refuses to provide or refer for abortion."

Creating A Dialogue In Religious Fundraising

Listening to concerns within demographics is a winning strategy. NonProfit Times